One of the show’s most ambitious undertakings — planning began not long after Prince William and the new Duchess of Cambridge tied in the knot in April — saw co-hosts Matt Lauer and Ann Curry play the regal bride and groom. And Curry found it was easier to slip into Kate’s dress than copy her royal mannerisms.

Rounding out the royal wedding group was Al Roker portraying party-hearty royal brother Prince Harry, Natalie Morales as the Kate’s vivacious sister Pippa, and Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb playing Beatrice and Eugenie, royal daughters of Prince Andrew and Fergie.

TODAY’s relative newcomer Savannah Guthrie might be excused for thinking she received the short end of the stick in being tapped to play royal dad Prince Charles. First seeing herself in full Charles regalia, she shouted, “Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious!” and added, “This is probably a career-ender.”

TODAY

From left, Savannah as Prince Charles, Ann and Matt as Kate and Will and Al as Prince Harry.

TODAY alum Meredith Vieira, who wowed the Plaza crowd last Halloween as Lady Gaga, returned to join in on the Halloween festivities, eliciting screams from the TODAY personalities as she arrived as the Queen herself.

Re-making the royal wedding wasn't an easy undertaking. Lauer and Roker were outfitted as the Princes from costume shops, and Curry and Morales' dresses were off-the-rack, but Gifford and Kotb’s costumes were designed from scratch to recreate the colorful attire of the young princesses.

As Matt tries to dip Meredith (as the queen), he causes a wardrobe malfunction.

And fittingly for a hair-raising holiday, getting the 'do’s of the royal family just right was the most painstaking endeavor. Each wig worn by the TODAY gang took up to 40 hours to make, using a half-pound each of hair.

The big reveal occurred at 8:12 a.m. as the throng gathered in the Plaza, many dressed in their own Halloween costumes and waving Union Jack flags, hailed the arrivals of the royal family.

TODAY producer Cecilia Fang said the production was perfectly fitting for the show. “We’ve done weddings on the plaza, we’ve done Halloween on the plaza, and now we’re doing both at once,” she said.

As pretend princes Lauer and Roker stood at attention, Curry’s Kate made her grand entrance — and immediately showed that indeed, she hadn’t quite perfected her royal wave. Still, Curry was a Kate-like vision in a lookalike gown, and as she slowly approached her intended she said, “Can we still change our minds?”

Just as Lauer expressed regret that the Queen couldn’t make it to the ceremony, a Rolls Royce pulled up and out came Vieira, dressed in a copy of the royal matriarch's yellow frock. Joining the royal wedding party, Vieira received a decidedly ungrandmotherly hug from Lauer, who knocked her wig and hat off in the process.

Vieira, speaking in a broad royal accent, expressed surprise at her new look: “Look at my boobs! They’re so royal! I can’t see my feet!”

And Lauer couldn’t help poking fun at his brother for the morning, suggesting he might not make the perfect Prince Harry. “You know what I can’t get over? Al, you look like Elton John!,” he said.

Later, standing on a faux royal balcony, the TODAY family egged on Lauer and Curry to recreate the first royal kiss. “Let’s show as much emotion as they showed on that day,” said Lauer as he pursed his lips for a quick peck. Curry grabbed his head for a smooch with a bit more gusto.

All the while, Gifford and Kotb, dressed as Beatrice and Eugenie respectively, made for royal pests, circling the royal family and dancing on the balcony.

As Lauer and Curry drove off in a car trailed with balloons, TODAY’s fourth hour correspondent Sarah Haines, dressed as a notably pregnant wedding invitee Victoria Beckham, introduced the behind-the-scenes of the hundreds of hours put into the royal Halloween production.

Cameras captured Kotb in a bit of a diva moment when having her head fitted for her royal wig. “Please take this off, I hate it!” she bellowed. Guthrie proved to be more of a sport, despite being the only member of TODAY that had to gender-bend.

TODAY’s royal wedding re-make followed a long tradition of major Halloween productions for the show. Last year, the team dressed as pop culture icons, with Curry portraying Amelia Earhart, Roker as Superman and Morales as Justin Bieber.

In 2009, the crew raided the props department of Lucasfilm to stage a Star Wars extravaganza, and in 2008 the TODAY gang dressed as bedtime story figures.

The wedding bouquet of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, lies on the grave of the unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey on April 30, 2011 in London, England.
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Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, pose for a photograph with (clockwise from bottom right): Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Eliza Lopes, Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Tom Pettifer, and William Lowther-Pinkerton in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, following their wedding at Westminster Abbey.
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Members of the public gather along the Mall and around the Queen Victoria Memorial as they await Prince William and his wife Catherine's appearance.
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Prince William, who has been given the title of The Duke of Cambridge, greets Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her husband Tim Mathieson at Buckingham Palace in London after his wedding.
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Prince William and his wife Catherine exit the 1902 State Landau carriage as they arrive at Buckingham Palace after their wedding in Westminster Abbey.
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Rachel Jane Eardley and Diane Pallett put the finishing touches to the royal wedding cake, that Fiona Cairns and her team created for Prince William and Princess Catherine, in the Picture Gallery of Buckingham Palace.
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Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Thousands gathered outside the palace gates to witness the couples first public kiss as husband and wife.
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Prince William and his wife Catherine, now known as the duchess of Cambridge, wave from their open-topped carriage as they leave Westminster Abbey after their wedding ceremony.
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Best man Prince Harry rides with two of the bridesmaids and a page boy in an Ascot Landau carriage along the processional route to Buckingham Palace after his brother's wedding ceremony.
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Prince William and Catherine greet the thousands of people gathered along the processional route as they make their way in the 1902 State Landau carriage to Buckingham Palace.
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Prince William and his new wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge emerge from Westminster Abbey after their wedding ceremony.
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An aerial view of Westminster Abbey as bride Kate Middleton arrives on the hand of her father Michael Middleton. She was trailed by her sister and maid of honor, Pippa Middleton, as well as her bridesmaids and page boys.
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Prince William puts the ring on the finger of his bride Catherine Middleton in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. The ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold.
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Catherine Middleton, holding the hand of her father Michael, gives her groom Prince William a big smile while joining him at the altar at the start of their wedding ceremony.
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Bride Kate Middleton walks down the aisle with her father Michael at Westminster Abbey, followed by her sister Philippa and other bridemaids.
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Page-boy Tom Pettifer laughs as he arrives at Westminster Abbey with William Lowther-Pinkerton, and bridesmaids Lady Louise Windsor and Margarita Armstrong-Jones for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
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Kate Middleton arrives with her sister Philippa Middleton at the West Door of Westminster Abbey in London for her wedding to Britain's Prince William.
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Kate Middleton waves as she rides next to her father Michael in a Rolls Royce on their way to Westminster Abbey for her marriage to Britain's Prince William.
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Maid of honor Philippa Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for the wedding of her sister to Prince William.
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Britain's Prince William waves as he arrives with his brother Prince Harry at the West Door of Westminster Abbey for his wedding, in London on Friday.
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Princess Eugenie of York and Princess Beatrice of York arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the royal wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
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Carole Middleton, the mother of Kate Middleton, arrives at the West Door of Westminster Abbey for the wedding of her daughter to Britain's Prince William.
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David and Victoria Beckham arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Beckham served as a soccer ambassador with Prince William in Britain's failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
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The Right Reverend Dr. John Hall, Dean of Westminster holds the wedding program, titled the Order of Service, before the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey.
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Editor's note:
This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.